Hypersound
by NontoxicEggs
Summary: The story of the Hypersound guild, consisting of lots of boss fights. Let's not forget the teenage drama that comes along naturally.
1. Pregame

"Finished?"

"Two minutes."

An audible sigh whispered through Caela's speakers. It was late, and the two friends were getting tired.

Caela's slow computer generally kept them both up past midnight in both their standards. He was three hours behind her, living on the coast opposite to hers. For him, it was already 2AM.

"You're sure you want to play it right now?" he asked.

"It's taken six hours, and I've got a minute and twenty seconds left. I want to get it over with tonight."

"Kayla," he said, his voice sounding muffled. "We can do it in the morning. Really. I need sleep, you need sleep. It's like almost sunrise there, isn't it?"

"Not for another hour."

"Kayla... for all we know, your computer won't even be able to run the client. And you still have to patch it."

Caela was about to talk back, but he was right. The patching alone would take another two hours on average, but her slow computer could take longer.

"Kayla?"

"It's Caela."

"Kayla, do you want to go to bed?"

She sighed, staring at the screen. "Let me start the patcher first."

"Fair enough."

It took a long two minutes just to open the patcher, but as soon as it was opened, Caela got up and flopped onto her bed.

"Kayla?"

"What?"

"You didn't hang up or say bye."

"You can hang up." she grabbed her pillow and buried her face in it.

"I know. You just didn't say bye."

"Good night, Elliot," she said almost firmly.

"Good night," came the reply, and then the sound of the call ending.

* * *

Elliot wasn't awake until just before noon the next day.

"Good morning."

He looked over at his dad, who was grinning at him.

"You just made it. Won't be morning in a few minutes. Sleep well, I take it?"

"Very."

"I'll bet you're hungry. Mom went out to get lunch. I had a feeling you'd be up soon, so she's getting food for you too."

"Thanks."

The older man's smile faded. "You're awful quiet. Anything wrong? Need a guy talk?"

"Kayla is just... difficult as ever."

"Girls are like that."

"I wish she'd take me more seriously."

"She will some day, don't worry."

"Yeah. I'm gonna go see if she's up." Elliot turned to go.

"Want me to bring you your food when she gets back?"

"Please?"

"Done."

Elliot disappeared into his room. He sat down at the computer and called Caela. The pickup was immediate.

"Good afternoon," he said with a smirk.

"I've been up," she said, the tiredness in her voice suggesting a lie. No use fighting, though.

"How's the patch?" he asked.

"Done."

"Great, we can play now!"

"Yeah."

"Alright, server 3, okay? I made my guy last night. Guess the name."

"Elliot."

"The one and only."

"_No_, Elliot, shut up."

"Okay."


	2. Level 15

Caela arrived in the town of Flarine with only a wooden sword and Cloth armor, which really wasn't armor at all. More like a dress. She examined the sword, frowning. Wood won't do anything for anyone.

She was tapped on the shoulder. Turning, she met eyes with Elliot.

"I'm not too keen on the wooden sword, either," he said, holding his up. "Swords in general aren't my thing. But once you get to fifteen you have a better weapon choice."

No response from Caela.

"...I was looking up guides... there's four classes after Vagrancy, and each have their own skills and weapons. Most MMORPGs work like that. Mercenaries use swords and axes, Assists use sticks or knuckles, Magicians use wands or staves, and Acrobats use bows and yo-yos. I'm gonna be a yo-yo Acrobat. You?"

"What's easiest?" she glared, requesting a quick answer.

"Probably a mage. Doesn't take much effort."

"Wand or staff?"

"Up to you. Wand does more damage if you stick to one spell. Or you can get all the elements."

"Wands do more damage?"

"Yeah."

"Wands are easier, then?"

"I guess."

"Good." she grabbed his hand and started pulling him along.

"You're getting too excited. Let's go get some power-ups from the penguin and get a party set up. I want someone from each class, so we only need two more people."

"I hate people, though. And how will we know what class they are?" she rolled her eyes, becoming impatient. "If they're our level, they'll be a Vagrant."

"Good point... lets take them as we go, then. We still need to see the penguin."

"Fine, lets see the penguin." she threw her arms up and started walking.

"Wrong way," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the town center.

* * *

Both feeling much more powerful after being blessed by "Buff Pang", Elliot and Caela headed towards the outskirts of Flaris.

"Aibatts," he said, gesturing to the first creature that had appeared.

Caela drew her wooden sword and walked over to them. Elliot just as quickly stopped her.

"Those things are our level. If you want to get through Vagrancy quickly, we should go for Mushpangs."

"Fine."

"You know... you don't have to play this game. You don't seem to be enjoying it."

"I am."

Elliot bit his lip. She was a difficult one. You could never tell how she was feeling. If you thought you had an idea on how she felt, it was usually wrong. He was constantly faced with this sort of conflict.

Caela turned to him with a smile that, at a glance, looked genuine. His experience with her had taught him better. She was an excellent actress.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." the fake smile faded as she turned to point. "Are those Mushpangs?"

He nodded and walked over to them.

Five Mushpangs got them to level seven. They traveled North through Flaris, killing a couple of each monster on the way. By the time they reached the River of Weeping, they were level 15.

Elliot stared across the rope bridge. The river carved a deep canyon, so deep one would surely die if they jumped. At least, in real life.

"Lets head back to town," he said, turning around. "We gotta do the job quests. But I'll have to go to Darkon, and you have to go to Saint Morning."

"You're leaving me?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Just to get my job. If you're still on the quest when I finish, I'll help you."

The one time Caela was easy to read was when she was scared. The way she looked at him now, he almost couldn't hold back the feeling of victory. She was so obvious when she was like this.

"Don't worry, okay? The instructors will tell you where to go."

She nodded slowly.

"How do we get there?" she asked.

"Blinkwings. The blue thing in your inventory. You need one to Saint Morning. Come on, I'll take you to the magic shop. They sell them there."

She followed him to the eastern part of town where they sold some of the monster drops and purchased their individual blinkwings.

"Just pluck off a feather and wait," he said, handing her the wing to Saint Morning. "Watch me." he held it out, removed a feather, and a red pulsating ring appeared by his feet. His figure slowly started to fade. She quickly replicated his actions.

"I'll meet you back here, okay?" he assured her just as he vanished.


	3. Magician and Acrobat

Caela found herself asking for directions more often than she hoped. It took her longer to get through the quest than it took to get to level fifteen. She ran into Elliot sitting under Saint Tree, watching the giant grasshopper move about. When he saw her, he stood.

"About time. I knew you'd end up here eventually." he gestured to her quest monster. "Just kill Seido and go complete the quest."

He held up a set of yo-yos. Each simply designed, and were significantly larger than his hands. His outfit resembled a rather fancy cowboy. He looked a lot more different than he was in Vagrancy. She wondered what the magician armor was like.

Without a word she began to attack in an adrenaline rush. Seido did more damage than she was used to, but Elliot joined in, casting the yo-yos one after another at the monster. It was dead within seconds. It had dropped a single refresher, but Caela ignored it and began running back towards her instructor.

"I killed Seido," she breathed.

She felt a wonderful sense of power flow into her as her instructor cast a spell. She turned just in time to see Elliot running up to her, holding something.

"So where do I get my armor?"

"Flarine, but—"

"Where's that?"

"It's the town we started in. Here, take this."

She took the potion. "What is it?"

"Magic refresher. You'll need it when you run low on power. I should have told you before. Have you sold any?"

Caela looked it over. "I think so. They looked a little different... rounder, and there wasn't a stripe on it."

"The style depends on the power level of the refresher."

"Cool. So, Flarine?"

"Yeah. I got you a blinkwing." he held it out to her. "You know the drill."

"Yep," she said, plucking off a feather.

* * *

Once in Flarine, Caela purchased her armor from the same magic shop woman, and Elliot bought her the wand. She walked into the changing room in the shop, and Elliot waited patiently as he fiddled with his yo-yos.

He lifted his head when he heard the curtain open, and looked over her with a smirk. She stood nearly frozen, fists clenches to tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Her face was beat red as she took the gloves and hat from him.

"I think you look adorable, Kayla."

"Why is this armor so revealing? It's hardly armor."

"It protects and enhances your magic damage."

She pulled on the gloves and put on the hat, sliding the large rim over her eyes. She held out her hand, and he placed the wand in it. Her arm quickly fell.

"It's heavy," she said.

The shopkeeper spoke up. "You hold it over your shoulder." she stepped out from behind the counter. "It'll get lighter as your power increases. Are you going Psykeeper or Elementor?"

Caela looked over at Elliot as the woman helped her hold the wand correctly. He shrugged.

"What?" she asked.

"Second class," the shopkeeper told her. "At level sixty, you can choose between the elements or the mental."

"I didn't know that," Elliot muttered, breaking his eyes away from Caela's glare.

"Well, what one uses a wand?" she asked.

"A Psykeeper," the woman said. "You can use whichever you want from now to sixty, but after that, wands are exclusive to Psykeepers. As you focus more on your magic, your wand will become weightless. Following the path of the Psykeeper, you will too. Your power will be based solely on your mind, and so you'll be able to float."

"I can float?"

"Once you complete Psykeeper. It's not nearly as fast as flying, and you can't go as high, but you can get around without ever touching the ground."

Elliot saw a smile play on Caela's lips. She was happy. Excited. More shocking than that, she was expressing such emotion. He looked to the shopkeeper. "Do you know the second class for yo-yo acrobats?"

"Jester," she told him. "Rangers are the bow acrobats."

"Sweet," he said, looking back at Caela's smile.

"Thanks for all this help," she said to the woman.

"No problem!"

**_'DID SHE JUST THANK HER?' _**Elliot screamed in his head. No doubt about it, Caela was enjoying herself more than she ever had in their three-year-long internet friendship. He couldn't hold back his own smile.

"Well, seeya! Come on, Elliot." she held her hand out to him. He held up his occupied hands, and she improvised by grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of the store.

"So what can I practice on?"

"Anything. As long as we're near Flarine, you should be able to kill anything around the outskirts before they can even touch you. Have you put in your stats yet?" he asked before she could run off.

"Yeah, the instructor taught me. I only need stamina and intelligence with the way I'm going."

"That'll be easy to keep track of, huh?"

"Why do you think I chose to be a Magician?" she called, having already run off.

"Mental Strike is the only skill you need, Kayla! Don't screw up your skills!" he ran after her, hardly catching up before she killed an Aibatt in one hit. He followed her around, not being able to catch up even when she stopped to kill something. Caela's giggles led them back through their initial path made as Vagrants, killing each monster before they had a chance to fight back.


	4. Assist

"Hey, Kayla?"

"Huh?"

"Do you see that?"

"See what?"

Both of the first classes turned towards the small town infested with pumpkin men.

"The girl," Elliot said.

"There's a lot of people here. Let her do her thing."

"Well, no. I wanna know what class she is. I said I wanted one of every class, and now that we know there are eight classes, we need more people."

The girl was sitting under a lamp post, looking around at all the mutated scarecrows wielding daggers. She held a short pole in her lap, designs and color on it indicating it was a weapon. Her outfit was a mix of dark and pale pinks, and she wore a tiny hat on her head. She looked up at Elliot as he approached, her face instantly thankful.

"Hey there," she said, waving.

"Uh, hi," he said, noting that Caela hadn't followed him and instead chose to start killing the pumpkin men. "Couldn't help but notice you're not fighting," he said to the girl.

She let out a nervous laugh and stood, using her stick to support herself. "That's because I can't. I chose the path of a full-support Ringmaster, so the first time I tried to kill something it took forever. My damage is awful and I had to keep healing myself."

"You can heal?" Elliot was suddenly interested.

"Yeah. I need to depend on others. Assists are give-and-take. You let me share the exp you get, I'll heal you and give you buffs. The penguin stops taking care of you at level 60, so you need me. Right?"

"You'll be a great addition to the team," he said, nodding at her.

"Oh, thank you so much! My name is Cephei."

"Elliot. My magician friend over there is Caela."

Cephei pointed to his yo-yos. "Jester?"

"You got it."

She looked over at Caela. "Psykeeper?"

He nodded, and she raised her eyebrows.

"Good team. I'll do you well." she spun her stick around her hand.

"Hey, thanks. Now lets go," he said, gesturing for her to follow.

Caela looked over towards the two. "You got her?"

"She's a full support assist. She needs us, and she'll be a great help."

"What level are you?" Caela asked, nodding disdainfully at the young assist.

"...Fifteen."

"Okay," Elliot stepped in before Caela could continue. "It's only five levels."

"It'll slow us down until she catches up," Caela said quietly.

"No it won't, and she'll catch up quick. Come on," he looked towards Cephei as he spoke, and gestured again for her to follow.

A few levels later, Cephei offered an idea.

"Wanna fight the Giant Gigglebox?"

Elliot looked over at her with a terrified look. She merely smiled.

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think! Virtually anyone with an Assist can take one on. I'll keep you safe. Just tell me who's going to attack first."

"Who has more hit points?" Elliot asked, looking to Caela.

"I probably do," she said, approaching the giant without hesitation. She took a glance at Cephei, who nodded reassuringly. "I've got you. Don't worry."

Caela nodded back, then cast Mental Strike.

It took significantly longer than a regular monster, but it was down in a few minutes with minimal damage to Caela. The magician was smiling now. Each of them leveled up more than once, with Caela and Elliot at 33 and Cephei at 30.

"We should go to town," the assist said, placing the end of her stick on the ground and leaning on it. "Sell some things, and we can get brooms and boards."

"What?" Elliot looked to her.

Cephei tilted her head slightly. "You know. Flying."

Elliot had forgotten about that, and neglected to tell Caela entirely. Flight.

"Let's go! Everyone has a Blinkwing?" Elliot looked at the two girls in turn. They both nodded, and then the group teleported to the town.

They bought some higher level equipment and sold the useless drops. When they finished shopping, and before Caela could rush off, Elliot called them together.

"Okay, Cephei, my plan was to get one member of each class on our team. We're halfway to sixty and we only have three. I want a Mercenary in here before we go. Do you know any?"

"There's one," she pointed to a boy with a sword and a bluish outfit.

"That was easy. Hey, kid!"


	5. Mercenary and Hypersound

"I am not a 'kid'," was the first thing he said to the Acrobat running up to him.

"Eh, sorry. Hey, so you're a Mercenary, right? What level are you?"

"Thirty five."

"Good, you're in our range." Elliot turned to gesture to the two magic users, then looked back at the Mercenary. "We're looking for one of every class in our team. We have one of every first class so far except, if you could guess, a Mercenary."

"You guys started earlier than I did," he said, looking to the girls. "I'm after a similar goal. I was going to wait until fourty to make a guild for the team." he folded his arms behind his back. "I'll join you, but only if you'll be with me to make the guild as soon as I hit fourty."

"Sure." Elliot looked to the girls for confirmation. Cephei nodded excitedly. Caela shrugged.

"You're in? Great. I'll be at the Fantasy Desert."

"You're not gonna fight with us?" Caela asked impatiently.

"I want to get to fourty as soon as possible. I'll wait for you once I hit it, and we can make a guild. Then we can fight together. Be on the lookout for other classes. Just no Blades, and nothing we already have. Common sense, of course."

"Uh, sure." Elliot looked to Caela and Cephei. "Wait, so, name? I'm Elliot."

"Khaos," said the Mercenary, nodding at Elliot.

"I'm Cephei, full support," she said with a smile.

"Caela."

Khaos nodded at them both, then hopped up on a board and flew off. Cephei clapped her hands together. "Flying, we forgot! Come on you two, I'll take you to the station."

At the station, the two girls purchased brooms and Elliot got himself a board.

"Anyone else broke?" he asked, stepping onto the new board.

"Yeah," Cephei said.

"Anyone else have no idea how to fly?" Caela asked, climbing onto her broom and keeping both feet on the ground. This got a giggle from Cephei, who sat sideways on her broom.

"Sit like me, Caela. It's easier and much more comfortable. Not to mention less awkward. Elliot, feet apart. Board work like surfing. Don't worry, it's close to impossible to lose control or fall off. They detect weight, so if you stumble or fall, they'll stop or catch you depending on which way you fell."

"I trust you, Ceph..." Elliot muttered, trying to motivate himself.

"Don't worry! Just push forward and go!" Cephei leaned forward and the broom took off, slowly at first and then speeding up. Elliot and Caela quickly followed.

* * *

After hitting fourty, Elliot, Caela, and Cephei headed back to Sain City to meet up with Khaos. Caela and Cephei had agreed to take a longer route to hopefully find anyone who could join the team.

"You guys ready?" Khaos asked upon his arrival.

"Yep." Elliot responded.

"Did you find anyone else?"

"Not yet."

"That's okay. Just you three are enough to make a guild."

Elliot nodded slightly and then looked towards the bank woman, then back at Khaos. "We need an Elementor, a Knight, a Ranger, and a Billposter, right?"

"Indeed."

"So what's the guild name gonna be?"

"Haven't thought of one yet. And you don't need a name to make one, but you need one to level it up, so I want to name it before we head off."

"You're gonna join us this time?"

"Sure."

Khaos nodded at the two girls as they landed. Elliot stepped up to them. "Find anyone?"

"No," Caela said, walking over to a shady area and sitting down.

Khaos nodded again in acknowledgement, then walked up to the woman at the bank.

"We're ready."

And so Hypersound came to be, name thanks to Elliot.


	6. Acrobat 2

"So, Cardpuppets?"

"Sure."

Khaos led the party, now a guild, to the southern part of the continent. They landed by the Maid Cardpuppets and broke off individually to fight. Cephei used a widespread heal spell to manage them all at once.

Elliot felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to look and saw a girl. Not Caela or Cephei, but one wearing the cowboy style armor he had. Only it was much more revealing.

"Can I help you?" he asked, turning to face her fully."

"...Hey, you're a cutie." she pinched his cheek and pulled his head back and fourth a few times.

"These people with you? Well, clearly, cause you're all in a guild. I wanna join. You're a Jester, right? I'm going to be a Ranger. And you can't have two of the same class. But we're not the same class, because you're using yo-yos and I'm using bows."

"Uhh," Elliot looked over at Khaos, who was now approaching them. He was happy to introduce this scary girl to the new man in charge.

"Khaos, huh? I'm Candis, Ranger-to-be. I see you got yourselves a Jester."

"Yeah. We'll need a Ranger. This is the whole gang here." Khaos gestured with his sword to everyone else. "What level are you?"

"Thirty-nine."

"You're in."

"Sweet! Can I use that Assist?"

"That assist's name is Cephei," Khaos told her, frowning a bit at her ignorance.

"Hey, Cephei!" Candis called. "Wanna come over here for a sec?"

"Um," Cephei looked over at Caela, who she had been healing. The mage gave her a nod and went back to fighting. "Sure," Cephei said as she ran up to the Acrobat. "You're new?"

"Yep."

"And you're level 39?"

"Yep."

Cephei tilted her head. "So what do you want?"

"Well, you should be AOEing."

"Why?"

"You're the only class who has your AOE at your level, right?" Candis raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm full support."

"You can still use it, right?"

"My damage will be awful. I'll have to heal myself a lot. Besides, it's a waste of skill points that I need to use for buffs."

"Jeez, don't be a priss. I guess we can just level slow." Candis walked off.

Cephei, red-faced and teary-eyed, walked over to Khaos, who had gone back to fighting.

"What happened?"

"She doesn't know what an FSRM is."

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not." Cephei wiped her eyes and sighed. Khaos looked over at Candis. He tapped his sword against the grass, thinking. "Look, don't worry about her. We need you, and we need her. Just don't bother each other."

Khaos clearly wasn't the kind to go to if you wanted cheering up. He stuck too much to rules. She nodded at him, but then walked over to Elliot. He immediately turned to face her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Candis is a jerk."

"She's creepy, but not a jerk."

"She completely ignored the fact that I'm an FSRM. She wanted me to _fight_. Worse, she wanted me to use my AOE. Then she called me a priss."

"Aw. Sweet, sweet Cephei." he patted her shoulder. "Just don't heal her. All you do is give. If she isn't going to be grateful, she doesn't deserve your help."

Cephei sniffed, then hugged him. "Thanks..."

"Uh, yeah. Anytime." he pet her head and looked over at Caela, who he could swear was glaring at him for the first time in awhile.

Glaring. Angry as always. But why? Was she mad that they added another—the horrors!—person to their team? Was she jealous? Did she really have mutual feelings for him despite the way she acted? He couldn't help smiling, but quickly snapped back to the situation at hand. Cephei. What was with this one? She was a bit of a sissy, but why go to him after Khaos already told her not to worry?

"Listen, Ceph, we should get back to work."

"Mhm..."

He pulled away from her, pat her head, and smiled. "Go help Caela, okay?"

Cephei nodded, then ran back over to the mage.

Meanwhile, Khaos stood by Candis.

"So you're full DEX, right?"

"That's right," she said, not pausing to look at him.

"And you're going Ranger, so you'll get your AOE at level 50. But you'll need help. Sure you have a high attack and block rate, but the AOE you get is weak."

She shot another Cardpuppet down, then turned towards him, not speaking.

"Don't pick on the ringmaster just because she's full support."

"Fine."

Khaos nodded, then turned so that he could see everyone. "Hey! Who's ready for the Garden of Rhisis?"


	7. Giant Mage Prankster

Khaos gestured to Cephei. "Ringmaster, you go with the Jester. Everyone else should be able to do fine on their own." he looked over at Candis, then to Elliot. "You'll likely kill slowest until you get to your next class, so Cephei will be a good help."

Elliot nodded. He was glad Khaos stepped in as the leader, since he was no good at it himself. But he didn't like the idea of working with Cephei.

"So... you ready?" he asked her as everyone else ran off.

"Mhm."

Caela kept one eye on this pair at all times. Because of this, she managed to swing her wand too hard at one point, and the weight that she was used to carrying pulled her to the ground. Or it would have, but a certain Mercenary caught her and stood her back up.

"Distracted?"

"Kind of."

"I understand that you need to let out your emotions. If you need to talk, I'm trustworthy."

"No thanks, boss."

"Focus, Caela." he placed a hand on her shoulder, pulled her so that they made eye contact for a moment so that she could see his solemness. He then walked off.

Caela took a final look at Elliot and Cephei. Instead of turning back to a Mage Prankster, she looked over at Khaos.

"She wants to play that game, huh?"

She flashed a glare at Elliot, then ran after the giant.

Her absence was quickly noticed. Khaos looked towards the slope where he saw the giant swing its cane at the mage.

"Cephei! Get Caela!"

Cephei was instantly running down the hill towards her.

Everyone noticed the same thing.

Caela wasn't fighting back.

She ran at it, aggravated it, and stood there.

"**CEPHEI!**"

Caela collapsed on the ground, and the giant headed for the Ringmaster.

"Elliot, Candis, get the giant! Cephei, take care of yourself!"

The orders weren't necessary. Everyone was already on it. Khaos ran over to Caela, picking up her wand and kneeling down next to her. He lifted her head into his lap. "Just wait, Caela."

A grin played on the girl's lips as she began to slip into unconsciousness. She reached a hand up to touch Khaos's face, then let it fall. She imagined Elliot's heart collapse in on itself.

It didn't matter. He wasn't looking.

He couldn't.

When the giant finally fell, Elliot ignored the drops and was first to bolt for Caela. Candis picked everything up while Cephei made her way over to the downed magician. Khaos lifted his head as they approached, then carefully placed her back on the ground and made room for Cephei.

The assist tapped her stick on the ground and fell to one knee, her weapon already starting to glow. She moved her free hand over the stick and towards Caela, the glow spreading to her hand. She raised this hand to the sky to request Bubble's assistance. A ring formed around the magician, lifting her into the air in a magic cylinder. She was placed back on her feet. She staggered a moment, but caught her balance.

Cephei began healing her instantly and powering her back up, casting spells one after another. Elliot approached her, as did Khaos.

"Why..." Elliot started.

"Why did you do that?" Khaos asked without hesitation, handing her her wand.

"Sorry..." she muttered.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it in time," Cephei said, looking to Caela and then Khaos.

"It's okay," Khaos told them both. He grabbed Caela's hand and pulled her aside, telling Elliot, Candis and Cephei to go back to fighting.

"You don't want to talk about it?" he asked mockingly, almost glaring at her.

Caela shook her head.

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't know."

"We fell behind a little, thanks to that."

"I know."

"Seriously. Caela," Khaos took her other hand and tilted his head so that he looked into her eyes. "Tell me what's wrong."

She blushed a little, quickly looking towards Elliot. A scared and confused expression broke through her her features. She bit her lip, looking from Khaos to Elliot.

"Caela?"

She pulled away from him, but he pulled her back. She let herself fall against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He dropped his arms by his side, glaring off at nothing.

"Caela, I'm not dumb. You're jealous of Cephei."

No response.

"You like Elliot."

"..."

"You're trying to make him jealous. You're using me right now."

"No..." she smiled sadly and pulled back so that she could look in his eyes. "You came to me first. Not Elliot."

"You were a felled companion. I'm the leader, you're my responsibility. I commanded Elliot to fight the giant.

She shook her head. "You care about me more than he does."

"I. Am. The. _Leader_. I'm _supposed_ to care."

"It's more than that."

"You lack understanding." Khaos leaned close to her, burning his glare into her eyes. "I'm incapable," he told her.

She leaned in and closed the remaining space between their lips. When she pulled back, he was still glaring, his countenance the same.

"I'm incapable. I care only for the mission. I need you for the mission."

She shoved him away.

He pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her waist this time. "I can humor you."

"How?"

"Pretending. Maybe you can teach me a little. I know only what I've been programmed to know. You're trying so hard to make him jealous. But it's clear he doesn't have feelings for you. I don't either, but that's because I don't know how." he pulled her head against his shoulder, burying his face in her hair. "If you can get me to, I can love you."

"You seem to know what you're doing."

"Trust me, this is imitation."

"Sounds sincere to me."

"This will work out for both of us." he pulled away, drawing his sword. "You believe I have feelings for you even though I don't know how that works. However, if you keep up like I love you and act accordingly, I can figure it out." he turned to her with a sinister grin. "Caela, I do believe you fell right into my plan. Your desperation won't let you pay any mind. I can see _right through you_."

Caela was speechless.

"So, what do you say? Love me?"

"...Okay."


	8. Level 60

It was time to head to Eron's Factory in Darkon.

"We have two options," Khaos announced. "We can go south through the factory and go along with the monsters as we level, or start at the higher levels right away and fight them all together."

"We have a ringmaster, so we should go for the higher levels," Candis said, plucking her bow string.

"Any oppositions?"

A series of head shakes.

"Alright. There's a part of the factory wit a store just over the edge there. North of that are Drillers. At level 55, you can get your next weapon. Everyone meet back at the Drillers when you finish shopping. I'll wait there for everyone." Khaos hopped on his board and flew off, shortly followed by Caela.

Candis pinched Elliot's cheeks. "You know, your new armor makes you look really cool. I'll bet you'll look even cooler as a Jester."

Elliot carefully shoved her away, looking at Cephei. "Want me to buy your next stick?

"I don't really need it."

"I have enough. It's no trouble."

"Okay, then."

"Candis, you're set?"

"Of course I'm set, cutie. I'll just wait on you."

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Okay, but I'm gonna sell all the drops. I recommend the same."

Cephei nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on Candis.

* * *

Khaos sat down against a crane, watching the monsters move about. Caela landed next to him and stood there. He looked up at her, then patted his lap.

"..." Caela lifted her head and looked towards the sky. He opened his arms.

"Come here."

She walked over and sat down next to him. He lifted her up onto his lap.

"Something wrong?"

"Not really."

"Hm." he rested his head against her back, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Candis, Elliot, and Cephei showed up minutes later. Khaos stood and helped Caela to her feet, keeping his hand in hers as he spoke.

"We're seven levels to sixty, and we only have five of the eight classes. While on your job quests, look around for other classes. The best place to look it at the Venel Guardian. Now to leveling. Who has the most HP?"

Cephei raised a hand. "I don't think it matters, Khaos. I can heal whoever hits first."

"Good point. So, Candis. Full DEX, high block and attack rate. You wanna do it?"

"Sure, but I'll get bored."

"We should look for a Knight. That is top priority, so approach all mercenaries, no matter the weapon. Remember, both merc classes can use both swords and axes, so the first class will look the same." Khaos held up his own sword and shield as an example, then pointed to a Driller.

"Go for it. We got you."

With that, Candis pulled back her bowstring and fired away.

Drillers, Volts, and Elderguards later, the entire guild had hit sixty. Everyone gathered around Khaos, as was routine by now. Caela stood next to him and held his hand, searching Elliot for any signs of heartbreak.

"We need to head to Darkon Town now. We won't be meeting again until Venel Guardian. Once you defeat him, wait for the rest of the team at his lair. Look for other classes too. Clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good." Khaos dropped Caela's hand, hopping onto his board and flying off to Darkon Town, followed by the rest of the guild.


	9. Venel Guardian

Caela stood quietly by the Psykeeper Altar, not continuing quickly through the quest. She stopped party to admire the scenery. The other part wanted to find Elliot. As she thought of him, she took off on her broom. But she was not the first to reach the Venel Guardian, especially not with her stalling. Candis had gotten there before her.

"Good thing you were here," Caela told her. "Cephei will need some help."

Candis looked up. "No, it's a good thing you're here. Now I don't have to be the poor sap helping her. I'm under orders to wait, not to help the Ringmaster."

'Wow,' Caela thought. 'She's a bigger bitch than I am.'

"She's your teammate. Whatmore, she's a full-support assist. You do know that once you go to the Guardians south of here, that penguin won't help you anymore?" she pointed her wand at the pre-Ranger. "Cephei will be the source of your power that you abused so much before. You've hurt her so much, though. She doesn't need to buff you, you know."

Candis seemed aware of the thread, but chose not to acknowledge it. "That doesn't mean I should help her with the Guardian."

"You're absolutely right. It doesn't. But it doesn't give you the right to abuse her and put her down, either."

Caela then shrugged at her lack of response and walked towards the Venel.

Khaos showed up next. He walked over to Candis.

"Anyone else here?"

"Just the witch. She's fighting the Venel now."

"She's not a witch," he said, flipping her hat off with the flat edge of his sword.

He walked over to Caela, ignoring the small tremor made by the Guardian as it fell. She spun around to face him.

"Congratulations. My turn."

She smiled and stepped away, sticking around just long enough for the Venel Guardian to rise again.

Caela stood next to Candis, watching the sky. It was night now, but still easy to see if someone was flying overhead.

"Are you gonna apologize to her?"

"No."

"Not every class was made for fighting."

"Every class except Ringmaster.

"Ringmasters can fight. Full-supports just dedicate all of their energy to their team. You know, once she gets her AOE, she won't need to depend on anyone anymore. Even as a full support. You'll be surprised." she slid down the wall so that she was sitting next to her.

"I get it," Candis muttered.

"So I think you owe her an apology."

"Fine, I will."

"Then do it now," Khaos said, walking out of the lair, pushing Cephei along with his shield.

Candis sighed and stood, walking over to her. The assist slowly raised her stick in defense.

"I'm sorry for making fun of you, Cephei."

She lowered her stick and smiled. "...Thanks. It's okay, I'm used to it."

Candis smiled back, then pointed to the Venel.

"Go on and hit it. Then heal yourself. I'll help you take it out."

Cephei was beaming now, excitedly gesturing for her to follow as she ran with her into the lair. Khaos sat himself down where Candis was previously and spread his arms to Caela.

"Do it right this time."

She walked over and sat herself on his lap, staring into the lair.

"I'm glad they made up," he said.

"Me too."

"Do you think we need more ringmasters?"

Caela smiled slightly and looked at him. "You know... I think eight will do just fine. Everyone will feel more special if they're the only class in the team. But if you want, ask Cephei."

"This is why I'm the leader, love," he said, turning her face so that she was looking at him. "You get the mission and your emotions all in a bunch."

She scoffed and looked back toward the lair. "I'm just thinking of everyone's feelings. If you ask me, a leader should think about others. Like Elliot did."

"Hm." Khaos frowned, resting his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes. From the ledge above, Elliot smiled, then jumped down in front of the lair.

Khaos looked up. "You're the last one."

"I know that."

"No luck finding anyone?"

"No luck."

"Dammit!" Khaos winced, glaring at nothing. "After you kill Venel, we're supposed to move on. I wanted to find at least one more member." he lifted Caela into his arms as he stood.

"Take care of this," Khaos said, handing her to Elliot, who smiled as she squirmed in protest.

"You can't just pick me up! Never! Neither of you!"

"I'm going on to wait at the guardians to see if there's anyone there. Meanwhile, I want Cephei to stay here. If she sees anyone, she can heal them while they fight the Venel and find out what class they are."

Cephei and Candis exit the lair, greeting Elliot, Candis with her usual cheek-pinching.

"Tell Cephei her job, Elliot. I gotta go."

He was off before Elliot could question. He placed Caela down, and the mage stormed off. He turned to face Cephei.

"Khaos wants you to stay and heal anyone fighting the Guardian to see what class they are." he looked towards Candis. "He went off to check the Guardian room. I think he won't go on until we get more people. The rest of us didn't really get orders."

"Well, the rest of us could spread out a little. Like, go to the altars?" Candis plucked at her bowstring. "Someone should tell Khaos that, though."

"I'll go," Caela said.

"No, I will." Elliot hopped up on his board and flew off before Caela could protest.

Her plan was working and they both knew it. Elliot was jealous.

Candis looked to the mage. "How about you check northern Darkon, and I'll take around here?"

"Sure."

Candis grinned and saluted to her before flying off. Caela got up on her broom, waving at Cephei as she lifted off the ground.

Elliot approached Khaos, who was sitting between the eight Guardians. He lifted his head as Elliot landed.

"We didn't know what we could do," he began. "So we're gonna split up and look for others."

"Whose idea was that?"

"Candis."

"Good girl. We'll meet back in Darkon Town at midnight." Khaos pointed towards the moon. "You know when midnight is?"

"Of course."

"Have they split already?"

"Yeah."

"Find them and tell them that."

"Sure."

Without another reply from Khaos, Elliot flew off.


	10. Billposter

Everyone but Cephei had gathered in the town. Naturally, there were positive and negative views on this.

"Maybe she found someone," Caela said.

"Or got lost," Elliot said.

"Her? No. I think she found someone." Khaos challenged them with a glare.

"It'd be funny if she found a player killer and they killed her. It's like, who kills Assists?"

Candis was the only one laughing. The rest exchanged worried glanced, having forgotten about PKers.

However, Cephei walked up to them shortly after, followed by a Billposter. She wore a broad grin as she pointed to the boy.

"His name is Tesseras."

"Tesseras. It's great to have you here. I'm Khaos, the leader."

"No problem. Cephei explained everything, and I'm happy to help." Tesseras looked to each of them, repeating their names for confirmation. He then bowed his head. "It's great to meet you all."

"So now we only need an Elementor and a Knight, correct?" Khaos asked.

"Sounds right," Elliot said, looking over everyone.

"Okay. Brave leader, I'd like to get to talk with you alone sometime." Tesseras smiled at him, but Khaos had caught Cephei's worried glance. Worried at what, he couldn't tell. But a slight, encouraging nod told him that it would be necessary to listen to him.

"We can talk now. Everyone else, get some sleep. We'll catch up."

When they all left, Khaos sheathed his swords and placed a hand on Tesseras's shoulder.

"What is it?"

"Listen, I'm not your level. Cephei found me on the way back, not at the Venel."

Khaos looked him up and down.

"I'm Master level. I'm 75 levels higher than the rest of you, to be precise."

"Tesseras, there's a lot that you're not telling me. Trust me. Just start from the beginning."

Tesseras explained to his new leader about how he had worked with the eight heroes that fought against Shade in the war for Madrigal. He had been forced into it at a very young age, and became a Billposter at age 12 to fight against the Masquerpets. Although they had defeated Shade for the time being, the monsters still roamed, and as far as he was concerned, Madrigal was safe.

Khaos listened with interest. Tesseras had gone five years without once leveling up after the level he was now.

"Why do you stay here?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I'm glad you did. We want to get rid of the sealed off demigod Masquerpets once and for all, and restore peace to Madrigal. We'll need your help. What do you say?"

"I have no reason not to..."

"Thanks, soldier."

Tesseras laughed in spite of himself. He looked to Khaos again. "But I'm still 75 levels ahead."

"Yes, but you're also only 75 in that case due to the Master protocol. While you may be more powerful, you're still in close range. As soon as we hit your level, you can join us."

"But you'll be reverted back to 60 come Master level too. I won't, I'll move on to Hero. What then?"

"You can just help us through our Master status. We'll figure something out, don't worry. Now come on. Let's get some sleep."

* * *

The next day, they all gathered in Darkon. Candis was first to speak.

"Let's get a guild house."

"What's that?" Elliot asked.

Khaos looked to him. "It's just what it sounds like. You can purchase a meeting place for your guild. In addition, it offers powerups." he then turned to Candis. "It costs an entire Perin."

"So if we all spare about 17 million, we can get it."

"Easier said than done," Tesseras said. "I bet none of you even have 1 million."

There were several nods. Tesseras continued.

"Azria."

More blank stares. Khaos stepped forward.

"Where do you propose we get the tickets?"

"From me. I have enough for everyone. They were a sort of reward from my war guild, which was disbanded years ago."

"You have six Azria tickets from your old guild?" Elliot asked. "What other sorts of presents?"

"Nothing I want to spoil everyone with. These tickets are good for two weeks, and by then we should all have enough for a guild house and more tickets."

"I knew you'd be a great addition to the team," Khaos said as Tesseras passed around the tickets.


	11. Killer Elementor and his Knight

In Azria, Tesseras explained that the monsters there dropped grand amounts of money. They were at least ten levels above the rest of the team, and so they gathered in a party to fight while Tesseras stood by.

When they had all caught up to him (which wasn't very long due to the high level gap), a break was suggested so that everyone could catch up with each other.

Khaos dusted off a rock and sat himself on it, pulling Caela onto his lap. He hadn't caught eyes with Elliot when he did this until now.

Despite telling himself that he hadn't been around long enough to have developed emotions, he felt a pang of regret.

'I trusted you,' Elliot's eyes said.

Khaos was the one to break the stare, but he could tell Caela had seen Elliot's heart break, because she kissed her leader right then and there. He shook it off, wrapping his arms around her as he addressed the team.

"Alright. Anyone got and cool stories to tell?" he looked over at Tesseras, silently asking him if he was comfortable sharing. Tesseras looked away, indicating his answer as a no. He scanned the rest. Everyone seemed nervous.

"I guess I should break the ice." he folded his hands in front of Caela, looking around. "I'm from the year 3002. I've been sent back to... look for error." he had to stop himself. There was no way he could let them in on the actual reason. Candis grew interested. "3002?"

"Yes."

"What's it like?"

"I can't tell you," he said. "Paradoxes. Risky enough telling you I'm from the future."

He could feel Caela fidgeting in his lap, and he reassuringly kissed her neck before looking back at the team. "Anyone else?"

"Are you guys telling stories?" a girl squeezed herself in between Tesseras and Elliot, sitting down in the snow. "I've got one. Anyone heard of Inkky?"

"Who are you?" Khaos asked.

"Desdemona. STA knight. I—"

Tesseras held up his hand. "What do you know about Inkky?"

"I'm his best friend."

Everyone except Tesseras seemed lost. The Billposter stood. "What do you _know_?"

"Everything!"

"Status?"

"I can't tell you. He's in hiding like always."

"Why can't you? Do you have any idea who he is, or are you just a crazy follower?"

"Wait, wait." Khaos said, standing Caela and getting up. He looked to Tesseras and the Knight girl. "Explain Inkky. What class is he, and how do you know him?"

"Khaos, no." Tesseras shot him a warning with his eyes. "He's an Elementor, and true that these two are the last classes we need. But Inkky... he's been on the bounty list for months now, slowly making his way to the top."

"But he hasn't killed me! In fact, he sent me here. I'm more charming, he says."

Khaos and Tesseras looked to her with piqued interest.

"Inkky's got a proposition for you. He'll make you an offer you can't refuse." she began walking around the area they all sat at, her hands folded behind her back. "In return for letting him join your team, he will not kill all of you."

"Two birds with one stone," Khaos said. "The last two classes we need."

"W-Wait, Khaos..." Elliot stood, extending his hand towards the leader. "He's a killer, and we all know that now."

"It's been established that the Elementor is a killer," Khaos said, locking eyes with the Jester. "Now imagine one of Madrigals's most wanted on our side. Perhaps we can get him to focus his adrenaline on Masquerpets instead of people."

"Do you think you're the first one to try that?"

Desdemona waved her hands. "Listen, mister Jester, Inkky and I want in on your team. Mister Blade says we're the last two classes you need, so there's no reason not to. He can be a great PK defense and a great scare tactic if anyone bothers you."

"Using a killer as a scare tactic is bad for our reputation," Khaos told her. "But you have an excellent point. You and Inkky are welcome." as the Knight ran off, Khaos turned to Elliot. "Don't you think people would respect us if we can control him?"

"This is so bad, Khaos..." Elliot began pacing. "We could have fallen right into a trap."

"If he tries anything, he's outnumbered."

Candis put a hand up. "Actually, Elementors have AOE spells."

"Shut up," Khaos said sternly. "No need to make him stress." he looked to Elliot again. "Look, we also have his friend on our side. We'll be fine."

"Not if they're both in on it!"

"Your paranoia isn't cute," a voice came from behind Elliot, and he spun around. He was met with a smile almost sincere if he hadn't know this was Inkky.

The Elementor locked eyes with each of them, nodding in turn, observing their reactions. He then bowed his head to them, tipping his hat.

"I'm sure you all know me."

Tesseras had been glaring, and now Khaos noticed. He, Elliot and Cephei were the only ones who seemed worried. He placed a hand on his shoulder. Inkky stood straight, holding his staff across his shoulders. "Tesseras, why do you glare so?"

The Billposter scoffed and stood. "You're my level, guys. We should start fighting."

This seemed to set Inkky off. "Tesseras, I never hurt you or anyone you knew!"

"I don't have to know anyone to care about them, Inkky."

"I helped you in the_ war_, you ungrateful brat!"

Khaos stepped forward and Tesseras pushed him back, approaching Inkky.

"I was the one who went and got a Ringmaster when you were felled by an enemy soldier! I _CARRIED_ YOU! That could have been Shade that killed you, not simply another human! I left my Guardian Staff on the battlefield for you. When we were back, it had been stolen. And of course! It was an Ultimate! A gift to me from the guild! I had to use a stupid little Ruofl Staff because I _sacrificed my Ultimate Guardian Staff to take care of you_. And look at you! You still have your Guardian Knuckle! You were my _partner_! We killed others _together_! Why do you have such a grudge against the man who helped you do so much for Madrigal?"

It was clear that everyone had wanted to stop them, but the history was interesting them. Khaos stood by, chewing his lip. It was then that Tesseras slowly removed his Guardian Knuckle, dropping the overarm on the ground. Considering his next move, he had no intention of killing the man before him.

Tesseras's unarmed fist met Inkky's jaw in one swift motion, and that was all it took for Khaos to pull the Billposter away. Being trained in strength, he could definitely throw a better punch than Inkky could trained only in stamina and magic.

Desdemona was trying to pin Inkky to the ground. They were wrestling, the weapon between them Inkky's staff. As Tesseras watched this struggle, he slowly stopped squirming in Khaos's grip. Something about finally seeing that wide, feral glare in the killer's eyes directed at him made him nervous. And he was still fighting despite being weighed down by a knight in heavy armor and his own staff.

Desdemona eventually pinned him at the throat with his own weapon. He looked hopeless now despite his wide glare still haunting his countenance.

Khaos released Tesseras, but Desdemona kept Inkky pinned. His cold eyes remained locked with the Billposter's as he slid the knuckle back over his arm. Inkky seemed to grown, and Desdemona started stroking his hair. "Shhh..." she whispered.

Caela tilted her head at the other magic user. To see someone with power like hers lying so low as to be pinned by a Knight upset her, even if it was only slightly. His eyes started to drift and they found hers. She looked over at Khaos.

No one said a word as Desdemona lifted his staff from his neck, getting up off of him. She helped him to stand, handed him his staff, then picked her axe up off the ground. Inkky was staring at Caela now as she moved over to Khaos and took his hand. Khaos sighed, lifting his head towards the sky.

"Anyone think we have enough for a guild house by now? Likely not, but counting won't hurt."

There were a few nods of agreement. Desdemona stepped forward.

"Money isn't an object. I have a perin to spare. We're a team now, so I'm only happy to share it."

"Desdemona, I'm not going to make you do that."

"No, a guild house is a benefit to me as well. If you won't buy it with my money, I will."

"Only the leader can."

"Khaos, just take my money."

Khaos looked over Desdemona and Inkky. An odd pair they were, but generous nonetheless. Hopefully this gesture would convince the rest of the team that this duo wasn't a bad thing.


End file.
